It's always fun when my brother comes to visit from New Zealand. Because he is a math and science teacher, he often thinks of interesting things to do that fascinate the children. When he heard that one of my sons does experiments in the kitchen for his science homework, he had the idea of making a list of fun experiments. "The next time you go to the supermarket, could you get three large bottles of diet Pepsi, and some Mentos mints?" he asked. I had a sneaking suspicion that the experiment he was thinking of would involve either a mess, or an explosion of some kind. By the time I got back from the supermarket, the three boys and my brother were ready to start mixing things together. We took the ingredients outside to the back garden. I have a wooden planter pot that is upside down that we used as a base. Each boy took turns holding the top of the bottle, with five mints lined up in his hand, ready to drop them in when told to. The camera was set up, and then the count down came, "Three, two, one, put them in!" As soon as they were dropped in, the boys had to jump back, out of the way. A brown column of fizzy Pepsi came shooting out of the bottle, going five to six feet in the air. "Wow!" they all cheered, with smiles on their faces. The Pepsi splashed on their jeans and got all over the deck. Their uncle Richard is the coolest, according to them. Who else would encourage them to make a big mess? The next experiment is, apparently, one that is powerful enough to launch a Pepsi bottle over the roof of the house. I think a little supervision by me will be necessary. I don't want to upset the neighbors by knocking out one of their pets. That wouldn't do much for neighborly relations.......As they say, "Boys with toys..." it could get a little dangerous. Grammar notes. Expressions: to take turns, a sneaking suspicion, out of the way. 1. When we play this game, we have to take turns. 2. You have a sneaking suspicion when you suspect something, but you are not yet convinced about it. 3. Move out of the way; the delivery truck is coming. Tweet //

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